Another Cook County suburb gives voters say on Illinois issues
Wheeling Township voters will have a chance to weigh in on Illinois state lawmakers imposing unfunded mandates. After the April 1 election, nearly 650,000 Illinoisans’ concerns will have been represented by votes on some of the state’s most pressing issues.
Wheeling Township voters April 1 will have a chance to voice their opinion on state leaders handing unfunded mandates to local taxpayers.
Wheeling Township has about 150,000 residents. It encompasses parts of Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows and Wheeling in northwest Cook County.
Voters will have a chance to share their opinion on this advisory question:
Unfunded mandates: “Should the state of Illinois be allowed to force unfunded mandates on local governments who may raise property taxes to cover the costs of those mandates?”
Wheeling joins a group of townships that have or are giving nearly 650,000 residents the chance to vote on advisory questions covering some of the state’s biggest issues, but which so far have been ignored by state politicians. Public pensions, unfunded mandates and gerrymandering questions are being taken up in different communities. The questions are non-binding, meaning they won’t directly change any laws but will tell state lawmakers where constituents stand on the issues.
Barrington Township gave voters the question on pension reform Nov. 5, which passed with 73% voting “yes” – government pensions need to be reformed to control their growth.
Illinois has the worst pension crisis in the nation at $143.7 billion in debt, with only 46% of the funds that will eventually be needed to pay for state worker retirements. Add to that another $70 billion in local government pension debt, which drives Illinois’ property tax pain to second highest in the nation.
The unfunded mandate issue is one that drives up property taxes as state leaders impose their will without providing the funds to carry out their directives. Gerrymandering impacts fair elections of federal and state representatives, with incumbents and majority political parties drawing legislative maps that favor them and diminish the chances opponents can win.
The more chances for voters to voice their concerns on these issues, the stronger the message it sends to state lawmakers who currently refuse to address the three problems.